Earth to Luke
by Vilinye
Summary: While Luke is off having adventures with the Doctor, Sky, Clyde, Rani and Maria are having adventures of their own. Just because Sarah Jane's gone doesn't mean the aliens are taking a holiday, after all.
1. The Timing Off

They watched as the TARDIS disappeared, the familiar wheezing noise echoing in their mind long after it disappeared.

"Well, I'm feeling a bit peckish, why don't we go to the kitchen and make some tea." Alan offered. "Maybe some toast too. After that, I think I'll run down to the shops and pick up some stuff."

"Dad, do you even have your wallet?"

"I think so," Alan fumbled in his pockets. "There, see. Told you so. Don't even have my passport, though. I could have someone mail it over, but it'd be difficult to explain."

"Mr. Smith can help with that." Clyde suggested.

"Great, faking my own passport."

"Well, how else are we going to explain it. And we can't stay with Mum; she's got Irvin now."

"Is it still Irvin?" Alan shrugged. "And what about you guys, won't your parents have questions?"

"Mum got an extra shift." Clyde explained. "As long as I get home before she does—" He turned to Rani. "Is it just me, or is it really dark out?"

"Sarah Jane says the TARDIS has trouble with timing—oh, Mum's going to kill me! Be back in a moment!" Rani ran downstairs, across the street, and in the front door. "Mum, Dad, I'm home."

"Where have you been?" Gita ran out of the kitchen, squeezing Rani to her chest. "I've been calling and calling you."

"I was over at Sarah Jane's, remember? I told you Sky wanted my help with something."

"That was Tuesday morning!" Gita's flushed cheeks were wet with tears. "It's Friday night!"

Rani stepped backwards. "He didn't. No, he didn't. It was just a short trip, Mum, I swear, it was just a short trip."

"Where were you? Off gallivanting with Luke and Clyde—I tried calling all three of you, no answer, nobody came to the door at Sarah Jane's place. You even left the sink running, good job I stopped by."

"Mum!" Rani snapped. "You don't—you can't…I didn't—" She backed out the door. "I'm sorry, I really am, but—" She backed out the door and ran back across the street. "Clyde, Clyde," She opened the door and galloped the stairs. "Clyde, we're in trouble. Big trouble."

"How big? Failing a test or attacking Slitheen?"

"Clyde, it's been three days."

"What are you babbling on about?" Maria asked.

"Three days. We've been gone for three days. My mum wants to know where we've been."

"What? That's impossible." Clyde stammered.

"The TARDIS is a time machine." Sky pointed out.

Maria's phone buzzed. She flipped it open and looked at the datestamp. "April 22. Three days."

They all stared at each other.

"We're dead meat."

"How are we supposed to talk our way out of this one?"

"I bet Luke could think of something."

"Well, he's not here, is he?" Clyde snapped.

"And what about Maria and Mr. Jackson?"

"We just stopped by for a visit," Marie answered.

"And the luggage?"

"It got lost. Stupid airlines."

Alan rubbed his forehead. "We need to think about this logically. What do we need to explain?"

"Where we were for three days without telling anyone?"

"Why Luke isn't here."

"What we're doing here." Maria added.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sky whispered.

"What?"

"My mum's dead."

The only sound in the room was Mr. Smith's engines. K9 rolled forward and stopped beside Sky,

Finally, Alan spoke. "Why don't' we tell them the truth?"

"What?"

"Are you crazy?

"They'll never believe us."

"Dad?"

"No, listen. I've been on the other side of this, I know that there were things you aren't telling me. Our best bet is to tell the truth. Well, as much of it as makes sense."

"Which is what?" Maria asked.

"That Sarah Jane died, a friend of hers came by for the funeral, and took you all on a short trip. Luke stayed with him, he needed to get out of Oxford and clear his head for a while."

"And why we didn't call?"

"Out of range?" Maria suggested

"Not going to satisfy my mom," Rani mumbled. "Sky, I'm sorry about this, but once we tell my mum Sarah Jane's dead, she'll want to ask all sorts of questions. For example, where were we for the last three days?"

"Well, she knows about UNIT," Clyde pointed out. "Probably thinks Sarah Jane is—was- some sort of secret agent or something."

"We couldn't call anyone from Snowdon either, security reasons. But we'd still have to get our facts straight."

"Military funeral, top-secret, Luke off with a secret agent of sorts. Why do I feel that's a rubbish story, but Gita won't notice anyway?" Clyde sighed.

Rani peeked out the window. "Better get downstairs, she's coming over."

* * *

><p>Gita burst into the kitchen. "Rani, where on earth were you? I couldn't get a hold of you—hello, who's this?"<p>

"Alan Jackson and this is my daughter Maria. We used to live on Bannerman Road. "

"Really? Which house?"

"Number 36,"

"Really? That's ours! So, why did you move?"

"Work. I had some time off this month, so I thought we could come by for a visit." Alan could only distract her for so long. Might as well get it over with. "I only wish it could be under better circumstances."

"Why, what's wrong?"

"Sarah Jane passed away on Tuesday."

Gita's eyes turned big as scones. "No! Not Sarah Jane? What from?"

"Cancer," Rani answered. "She left a note—she hadn't even told Luke."

"Where is Luke? Shouldn't he know? Is that why you were all gone?

"It's complicated." _You were always a bad liar, Alan, _echoed in his mind, but Alan continued. "Some of her old friends from UNIT-"

"Those chaps in olive uniforms with spiffy red berets?"

"Mum!"

"Sorry."

"They planned a proper military funeral, but I had to drive the kids up."

"And they confiscated our mobiles. Sorry, I meant to call." Rani blushed. "I'm sure you must have been worried sick."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't have a clue. Would you like some tea? A nice cuppa would do you a world of good. And Luke, where is he?"

"One of his mum's old friends was there, offered to take him on a trip."

"I wanted to come, but he said it as too dangerous." Sky added, staying close to Rani.

"And he left you hear all alone?" Gita exclaimed. "Why don't you come over and stay at our place for a while?"

Sky shot a look of panic at Rani.

"Actually, I was planning to stay for a while—have quite a few holidays saved up."

"Just let me know if you need anything. Rani,I better call your dad, let him know you're safe. Suppose you'll be staying over here tonight."

"Yeah, I'll just pop over and get some clothes first. Why don't you go, I'll be along in a minute."

"Right you are. Deepest sympathies, Sky. Maybe I'll go pick up some flowers from the shop." Gita's babble continued until the door shut behind her on the way out.

Maria sighed. "Well…"

Alan exhaled softly. "Is she always like that?"

"Unfortunately, yes. She'll be over tomorrow with burnt casseroles and bouquets if Dad doesn't talk her out of it."

Clyde stared at his mobile. "I suppose I ought to call Mum and explain things. I'll be in the parlor, so don't come in, okay?"

Rani nodded. "I'll go pick up some clothes and then come back. Might take a while, Dad will probably want a more detailed version of the story."

"Do your parents know about this—"Alan waved his hands. "What you do?"

"No, and hopefully I can keep it that way." Rani shuffled out of the room. "I'll be back."

"Sky, are you hungry?" Maria pulled two slices of bread out of the box, dropped them in the toaster, and turned to rummage in the cupboard.

"I guess I'll just pop down to the shops and pick up some essentials. Pajamas, toothbrushes, that sort of stuff." Alan's voice trailed off. "That could wait, if you'd rather."

Sky bit her lip.

"I think that can wait, Dad." Maria answered.

"I'm going home," Clyde called from the hall. "Mum wants an explanation, but I'll come back tomorrow, okay?"

"I'll tell Rani when she comes back."

"Oh no, that's fine, I'll stop over there for a bit. Tell her myself—anyway, I should be off." Clyde stammered.

* * *

><p>"…The pendant reversed the Gorgon's effects on my dad. We even tried it on Bea. Didn't bring her memories back, but it did make her peaceful. That's something, I guess." Maria tucked Sky into bed, pulling the blankets tight. Sky tightened her hold on a scruffy owl, twitching for a moment before stretching out again.<p>

"I guess I'm just talking to myself now. Daft thing to do, but it's better than crying. I was going to tell you a Trickster story, but maybe that would be too sad. It started out with an ordinary day at the skate park—Dad was showing off his moves to Clyde and Luke. Next morning, I woke up and she was just gone. Both her and Luke had vanished, and her house was owned by a stranger, Andrea Yates-well, a stranger to everyone but me. Everyone acted like Andrea had always lived there, and Clyde didn't know me. I thought I was going mad. I'd lost my best friend, but nobody else remembered her. All the adventures we had, gone, only left in my memories." Maria looked down at Sky's sleeping face. "It's going to be like that, but worse. Because you can't tell anyone besides us about what really happened—about the Doctor and the TARDIS or Luke and where he really is now. "

Alan knocked on the door. "Can I come in, or is it all girl talk in there?"

"She's sleeping." Maria opened the door. "I was just talking to myself."

"Well, would you like to have a talk with someone who will talk to you back?"

"Maybe," Maria stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. "How long are we going to stay?"

"I don't know. I have my work; you have school," he sighed. "And Luke's off exploring. When do you think he'll come back?"

"It's the TARDIS, it could be tomorrow afternoon or ten years from now."

"Not very reliable, is it? "

"Sarah Jane says it goes where it's needed, but the definition of 'needed' varies."

"How's Sky doing?"

"She's exhausted. I don't think it's sunk in yet, and what happens when it does is anyone's guess."

"I suppose," Alan stared past her. "I know she's an alien, but Sarah Jane filled out the proper paperwork and everything, right?"

"I suppose so?"

"Does she legally exist? I suppose we could check with Mr. Smith, he'd probably know. He probably has Sarah Jane's will somewhere too, assuming she made one."

"Dad, what are you thinking about?"

"If there's no legal guardian, the state would put her into foster care."

"But she's got Luke."

"-who is currently exploring time and space. And who will eventually want to go back to Oxford. Besides, Luke's not that old himself. What did you say, five and a half?"

"Only technically!"

"Can you imagine Luke trying to raise his sister? He'd feed her fish and chip from the pub every day and have Mr. Smith teach her historic Star Wars battles." Alan's eyebrows twitched. "Mind, Luke didn't turn off half bad."


	2. Almost Ordinary

"Do you need anything, love? I could stop by the shop, pick up some flowers."

"I think I'll just grab some things for Maria and Mr. Jackson, since their luggage got lost." Rani glanced at her dad. "Could you maybe grab something?"

"Sure, I'll be back," Haresh stretched and left the room.

"I'll bake something tomorrow. Always need food at a funeral."

"Mum, they already had the funeral," Rani snapped.

"None of you can cook. Trust me, they'll be grateful for the meals."

"If you insist," Rani grabbed a clean set of pajamas, toothbrush, and some blankets from her room, dumped them in a laundry basket, took the clothes her dad offered, and headed across the street.

"Rani," Clyde stepped out the front door of #13. "I'm going home for the night—thought you'd want to know."

"Just a sec, I'll be right over," she crossed the street and set the basket down on the driveway for a minute. "I thought you were staying overnight. "

"Mum was panicking. She won't be satisfied without seeing my face. And when I told her—she insists on details."

"Dad actually managed to keep my mum quiet. Well, quiet for her. She didn't even insist on bringing over flowers."

"Small miracle." Clyde grinned.

"Yeah…she's going to get it out of me eventually, though. If I'm not careful, I'll spill the beans. "

"Better not, or we'll spend the rest of our lives answering to her."

"You think don't know that?" Rani bit her lip. "Sorry…it's been a long day. Weird, isn't it? The other night, we were watching a meteor shower. A quiet, almost ordinary night. And then this morning…"

Clyde threw his arm around her shoulders. "Hey, we'll get through this."

"She looked like she was sleeping. They always say that in the movies, but she really did. I had to ask K9 to be sure. And I had to tell Sky what happened."

"If Luke hadn't been staying over with me—he should have been there. At least we weren't all the way back to Oxford when you called." Clyde's mobile buzzed. He looked down in disgust. "Mum's getting impatient. I'll be back tomorrow."

"I suppose I should go in," Rani shivered. "Don't think I'll sleep a wink tonight."

"Me neither."

* * *

><p>No one was in the kitchen, so Rani set the basket at the foot of the stairs and headed to the attic. Maria and Alan were there too. "I brought some clothes for you guys. They're downstairs."<p>

"Thanks, I really didn't want to run out to the shops," Alan said.

"They're probably closed anyway," Maria agreed.

"So, what were you talking about?"

Alan jumped in first. "You've met the Doctor before, haven't you?"

"At Sarah Jane's almost-wedding at and at his funeral. Well, his faked funeral. The Shansheeth nicked the TARDIS and staged a funeral to steal the keys."

"I remember hearing about that," Maria commented. "And that was this Doctor, right?"

"He had a different face at the wedding—skinny bloke in a suit and trainers, pokey hair. But the one at the funeral was the one you met today."

"I was actually more interested in the TARDIS," Alan clarified. "Coming back three days late doesn't exactly inspire my confidence in the Doctor's piloting skills. Can we even contact Luke?"

"He has his mobile."

"And what network gets reception on Mars? I know he couldn't pass up the chance to explore time and space, but he has things to worry about back here too. Like Sky—what's going to happen with her? Sarah Jane doesn't have any extended family, does she?"

"Not that I know," Rani admitted.

"Right, so what's going to happen to her? Maria and I were talking about it—she could end up in foster care if something isn't worked out."

"Dad, why are you being so hard on Luke? He was offered a chance to do what his mum did—a chance he could never get again. And even a superbrain like his wouldn't be thinking of all the details under the circumstances." Maria choked back a sob.

"I'm not dissing him. Luke's brilliant, I know that, but he's still a boy. I'm an adult; it's my job to think of things kids might forget. You lot run around fighting aliens and saving the world, but at the end of the day, someone has to make sure the milk is fresh and the power company paid. Speaking of which, how's the fridge looking?"

"The fridge?" Maria's voice waved. "You're thinking about the…" The last words dribbled into a series of inelegant blubbering.

Rani sniffled. "I think..."

"I think I'll get some tea," Alan offered, hastily leaving the attic.

* * *

><p>The moon had already set, and the stars were beginning to fade. Rani and Maria had fallen asleep on the floor in Sky's room, and Alan was nodding over his cup of green tea . Only K9 and Mr. Smith remained in the attic.<p>

"Scan for alien life shows no activity in the area." Mr. Smith announced.

"Confirmed." K9 agreed. He rolled backwards, then forwards. "I will check on Mistress Sky."

"I suspect she's asleep."

"Correct, but Master Luke ordered me to take care of her."

"Understood. We each have our purpose. Mine is to defend the Earth." The Xylock watched as K9 rolled towards the stairs. "K9?"

"Yes?"

"Sarah Jane-she—"

"Yes?" K9's ears twitched.

"It's not important." But his whirling fans sounded very much like a sigh.

* * *

><p>Sky opened her eyes to a staring stuffed owl. Sunlight, blurred by the curtains, filled the bedroom. "I heard the TARDIS last night. It sounded so pretty. " Her pillow was damp—why was that? "Mum?"<p>

K9 rolled into the room, carefully avoiding Rani's blankets and Maria's arm. "Yes, Mistress?"

"Where's Luke?" What was Maria doing here?

"Master Luke is in the TARDIS with Master Doctor."

It wasn't a dream. "He should have taken me," she sat up, pushing her fingers through her hair. "What did Mum say about that?"

"No reply."

"What do you mean? Where is she?" Rani's eyes fluttered open for a moment and closed again.

K9 lowered his head. "Not here, Mistress."

"Not here?"

"Sarah Jane Smith is now part of the planet Venus."

"She's visiting Venus with the Doctor and Luke?" Sky crossed her arms. "Why didn't she take me?"

"Because she is dead, Mistress."

"Stop calling me Mistress. My name is Sky!" The clock flickered for a moment.

"You are Mistress now. Luke is Master, and you are my new Mistress. Sarah Jane told me so."

"No, I'm not. That's Mum's job. Mum is the one in charge."

"She transferred my primary allegiance to Luke. Master Luke is unavailable and you are the next highest authority."

"No." The ceiling lights flickered. "You're wrong. Mum's in charge."

Maria rolled over, nearly bumping her head on the bedframe.

"My job is to take care of you, as instructed by Master Luke."

"Luke can keep his stupid dog!" The light bulb shattered. "I want Mum! I want my mum!"

"Ouch!" Rani jerked up. "That hurt!" She touched her cheek; the finger came away bloody.

"Sky?" Maria stretched. "What happened?"

"Mistress Sky insists that she is not in charge of me." K9 announced.

"It's too early to argue about tin dogs," Rani mumbled. "Need to wash my face and get a plaster."

"I'm not in charge. Just because Luke's gone doesn't make me the one in charge."

Maria shoved her blankets to the side. "Luke left K9 to look after you, didn't he?"

"Affirmative."

"He wants to make sure you're safe. Don't worry about it right now." Her stomach growled. "Hungry?"

"Not really."

"Well, I'll sweep up the glass first and then let's go see what we have in the fridge."


End file.
